1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention is directed to containers and packaging, and more particularly, to containers and packaging that incorporate tamper-resistant and tamper-evident features.
2. Background of the Related Art
Disposable containers for packaging, distributing, displaying or otherwise housing consumer items, especially perishable foods, are becoming increasingly important. Historically, perishable products had to be brought to market and sold quickly before exposure to the atmosphere caused the products to lose their freshness.
The advent of plastics resulted in many products being wrapped or packaged in plastic, both in the form of flexible plastic bags and solid plastic containers. The use of plastics in the modern-day convenience food industry has significantly improved the “shelf life” of perishable products, allowing both merchants and their customers to store the products for longer periods of time, resulting in substantial savings.
It has been found that consumers like recloseable packages, particularly for comestible products, especially in circumstances where more than one serving of a comestible product is contained therein, in order to reduce drying out or other deterioration of the comestible food product. In addition, consumers prefer to visually inspect the food product within such containers prior to purchase. Thus, fabricating containers from clear see-through plastics is desirable. For example, packaging provided for bakery goods has often been in the form of clear, plastic clamshell packaging, because, among other things, such clear, plastic clamshell packaging, provides a baked-on-the-premises image which grocery retailers have found to be especially appealing to consumers.
Typically, plastic containers will include a fairly rigid lid and base, although they may be subject to some amount of flexure. The lid provided must be capable of properly and effectively sealing the container, yet the container must be constructed so that the lid is relatively easy to remove, and even replace, since it is expected that the container and lid would normally be reused.
In addition to the aforementioned consumer design preferences, it is desirable to fabricate containers that include features which either deter unauthorized tampering or clearly indicate whether unauthorized tampering has occurred, or both. These tamper-resistant/evident features typically include structural elements which, when the container is tampered with or opened without authorization, enable the consumer to easily visually recognize such tampering so that the product can then be rejected. Such tamper-resistant/evident elements are important for, among other things, deterring theft and preventing the loss of product and income for the seller, as well as instilling consumer confidence in the integrity of the contents within the container and confidence in the ability of the seller and/or manufacturer to provide and maintain quality goods.
Thus, there is a compelling interest in the development of containers having consumer-preferable design elements, such as recloseability features which are reliable and easy to operate, along with tamper-resistant/evident features that deter tampering and clearly indicate whether tampering has occurred, and which are also reliable without being burdensome to the legitimate consumer. Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a container that meets these needs.